Michigan Senate Candidates Engage in Party Infighting Over Tax Returns Ahead of Democratic Primary

After immense pressure from primary opponent Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., Abdul El-Sayed has released tax return information in advance of the August 4 primary in Michigan. Both Stevens and El-Sayed are running as Democrats for the open U.S. Senate seat to replace retiring Democrat Sen. Gary Peters.

El-Sayed’s tax return information was shared on Wednesday with WLNS. This is a pivot from El-Sayed previously saying that his returns would not be out until after the primary, a move that he blames on his wife’s family owning property abroad, and which he tried to justify by saying taxes can be “complicated.”

As mentioned in the local news report, the joint tax return information from the couple shows a reported total income for 2025 of $686,069 and an adjusted gross income of $675,246. That’s $130,749 in wages, $262,299 in capital gains, and $292,881 in additional income.

The 2025 financial disclosure estimated a net worth between $580,000 and $1.7 million.

The information shared was not enough for Stevens, who posted extensively to X throughout Wednesday, from criticizing El-Sayed to being wealthier than the average Michigander, to the vague “additional income” information and property.

According to her tax information already released, Stevens’ 2025 adjusted gross income was $169,970.

She continued to post on Thursday as well.

Beyond providing fodder for party infighting over personal finances, the tax return information shows that such wealth also flies in the face of El-Sayed’s image of being “Mr. Socialist Worker Man,” as Tony Kinnett pointed out during Wednesday’s “The Tony Kinnett Cast.”

“I love it,” Kinnett said of the primary battle. “I love it when Democrats start going after each other like this because they earned it. Because after all of the young socialists went after anyone who wasn’t pro-Islam and pro-open Marxism, they would go after all of the other candidates in the most vile ways that they can find. And it has truly upset Haley Stevens and her team,” Kinnett added, as he read from Stevens’ many posts on X.

Kinnett also pointed to El-Sayed’s capital gains, which he said “means that he’s a big stock market player,” which also could be in conflict with the Democratic Socialists of America who want to ban the stock market.

Stevens has her own baggage, particularly her goofy mannerisms on the campaign trail and during her time in the House, as Kinnett covered on Tuesday and Wednesday’s shows.

WLNS points to questions with Stevens’ own release of tax return information. Although the report mentioned she “volunteered her tax returns ahead of Tax Day earlier this year — which is not required by law — and has introduced legislation that would require members of Congress to publicly disclose their returns,” she also has “requested extensions to delay her annual financial disclosure filings every year since she entered Congress, even as her campaign criticized El-Sayed for delaying his.”

Stevens is currently ahead in certain polls, as Kinnett referenced on air, despite how “awful” she may be, and despite El-Sayed having previously led Stevens significantly, which Kinnett said “is a major warning.”

Stevens has herself promoted polls where she’s up, with a Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll showing her up by 7 points against El-Sayed, 48-41%.

El-Sayed is also faring particularly poorly with black voters, which Kinnett said could be due to do with the candidate’s criticisms of former President Barack Obama.

The winner of the Democrat primary will face former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who was also the nominee in 2024 and lost to now Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., by 0.3%.